Houston Hospice in Texas is partnering with the Jung Center’s Mind Body Spirit Institute on an initiative to aid employees coping with the stress of providing end-of-life care, particularly during a pandemic. The program, called the Compassionate, Professional, Renewal (CPR) Wellness Initiative, provides self-care tools and strategies to hospice staff and volunteers.
The program is designed to help staff address the emotional toll of providing hospice care and to prevent burnout. About 62% of hospice clinicians have experienced burnout at some point in their careers, according to a 2019 study.
This is contributing to widespread workforce shortages affecting the industry. More than 35% of hospice leaders surveyed by Hospice News earlier this year cited staffing shortages as a top concern for their organizations, along with regaining access to patients in facilities.
“At Houston Hospice, we care deeply for the well-being of our staff and volunteers who have endured the hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent storms in our area,” said Rana McClelland, president and CEO. “As our teams begin to find a renewed sense of self, their families will benefit, their job satisfaction will rise, and hospice patients and their families will feel a greater sense of peace and compassion.”
The pandemic has only exacerbated the workforce issue with many providers reporting increased turnover during the outbreak. Slightly more than 20% of health care workers have considered leaving the field due to stress brought on by the pandemic, and 30% have considered reducing their hours, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open.
The CPR program includes a series of events intended to help staff combat the effects of stress and frustration, burnout, vicarious trauma, grief and compassion fatigue. Houston Hospice has also offered employees nutritional consultations with registered dieticians and spiritual care services with chaplains. More wellness programs are in the works for the agency.
“CPR in this case is not cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It’s compassionate professional renewal,” said Alejandro Chaoul, director of Jung Center’s Mind Body Spirit Institute. “Health care professionals are trying to relieve the suffering of others and of themselves. What happens is the wick keeps on burning until there seems to be no wick anymore. We want to renew that sense of compassion and professionalism.”
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